Chapter 582: Falling into the Mire

Chapter 582: Sunk in the Mire

Previously, when news of the assassination plot against Prince Ye's residence leaked, Luo Jingshen had suspected a mole in his ranks, but he hadn't dug any deeper into it.

Now, with the loss of the military tally and the way she'd up and left without a word, he figured Hua Xue was probably the mole.

The fury in Luo Jingshen's eyes was building. His face hardened, and he lashed out, kicking over the table next to him.

Porcelain, scrolls, and books crashed to the floor in a heap, but it barely put a dent in the rage burning inside him.

Luo Jingshen never in his wildest dreams imagined that the first woman he'd ever truly fallen for—dreaming of starting a family with her and growing old together—he'd end up getting played for a complete fool.

He was now seriously starting to wonder whether he'd ever even shared a bed with Hua Xue.

Because other than waking up every morning sore and stiff, Luo Jingshen had zero memory of any of that.

He couldn't recall a single detail, no matter how hard he tried.

Everything he knew about it came straight from Hua Xue's mouth, and she was the only woman who did anything for him.

Even if other women stripped naked in front of him, he couldn't work up the slightest bit of interest.

Luo Jingshen had thought he'd found his one true love, but the more he mulled it over, the more wrong it felt.

A lot of things just didn't hold up under scrutiny, because the moment you started picking at them, holes showed up everywhere.

He was dying to find Hua Xue and confront her about all this in person, but she'd vanished without a trace, like a stone dropped into the ocean.

Luo Jingshen was getting antsy. The military tally was no small thing—Emperor Jingyang had gone all out when he'd handed it over.

If the emperor found out he'd lost it, he wouldn't be able to talk his way out of it no matter what; Emperor Jingyang would just think he was incompetent.

He silently repeated Hua Xue's name in his head, and then, out of nowhere, the name Hua Feixue slipped out of his mouth.

Luo Jingshen nearly jumped out of his skin. Once he got a grip on himself, he remembered hearing that name from Ji Qingqing before.

Back then, she'd pointed at Hua Xue and flat-out insisted she was Hua Feixue.

And on top of that, Ji Qingqing had also said Hua Xue was playing him, that she was some woman Ji Qingfeng had brought home.

At that thought, Luo Jingshen decided he needed to pay a personal visit to the jail to get the whole thing straightened out.

What if Ji Qingqing had actually been telling the truth?

If he really did know Hua Feixue, then he'd have a much better shot at finding her, and maybe he could get the military tally back.

The second that thought hit him, Luo Jingshen hopped in a carriage and headed straight for the yamen.

Meanwhile, inside Ji Qingqing's cell, something was happening that no one could have seen coming.

She'd sent word to Ji Qingfeng, asking him to come visit her, but it'd taken him half a month to finally bother showing up.

Just like he used to at the marquis's estate, he brought a food basket to see Ji Qingqing, packed full of all her favorite foods.

The jailer unlocked the cell door and gestured at the woman curled up in the straw. "The prisoner, Second Miss Ji, is in here. Young Master, you've only got a quarter of an hour. Make it quick."

Ji Qingfeng quickly pulled a piece of silver from his pocket and placed it in the jailer's hand. "I understand. Thank you."

This was the first time Ji Qingfeng had come to see her since Ji Qingqing had been imprisoned.

He could hardly believe his own eyes.

There, curled up in the straw, was a woman reduced to skin and bones. Her wild, tangled hair partially covered a dirty face, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes that now stared at Ji Qingfeng with timid helplessness.

The prison uniform she wore had long lost its original color, and up close, a foul stench wafted off her.

Ji Qingfeng wrinkled his nose in disgust. He had never imagined that in just one short month, his once beautiful, heaven's favored sister would become more terrifying than a beggar.

He was tempted to set down the food basket and leave immediately, but remembering that she was once his most beloved younger sister, he suppressed the urge to vomit and stayed.

He stepped closer, opened the basket, and took out the dishes, arranging them one by one on a small table nearby.

Then, forcing a strained expression onto his face, he said reluctantly, "Qing Qing, your second brother has come to see you."

"I had the kitchen make your favorites—braised pork with preserved vegetables and braised lamb. Come over and have something to eat."

Ji Qingqing remained unmoved, simply staring at him with those bloodshot eyes.

Thinking she was afraid, Ji Qingfeng moved a little closer.

"Qing Qing, don't be scared. The jailers are gone now. With your second brother here, they won't hurt you."

"Listen to me, come over and eat something, alright?"

Ji Qingqing still did not budge, her crimson eyes fixed intently on him.

It was only when Ji Qingfeng said, "Didn't you keep asking for your second brother to come see you? Now that I'm here, why won't you even acknowledge me?"

"I had to bribe the jailers outside to get in, and I only have this short time with you."

"If you keep ignoring me, your second brother will have to leave."

At those words, the expression on Ji Qingqing's face finally showed a flicker of reaction.

She looked at Ji Qingfeng, and her hoarse, tear-choked voice finally broke the silence.

"Second brother, why did you take so long to come? Have you abandoned me?"

"You once said I was your most beloved sister, that you would protect me for life. Why is it that after all this time since my troubles began, none of my three brothers have come to see me?"

"Do you all despise me now? Are you afraid of me?"

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Ji Qingfeng's face. He dared not meet Ji Qingqing's eyes.

Ever since Ji Qingqing's true identity had been exposed, the Marquis Yongning's residence had become the target of public scorn and abuse. Wherever they went, people stared at them with strange, contemptuous looks and pointed fingers.

Sometimes they would hide inside the mansion, not daring to step outside at all.

Even when they did go out, they had to use the back door and wrap themselves up tightly, terrified of being recognized.

Ji Qingfeng was no exception. He had even closed down his teahouse business during this period, planning to wait until the storm of this affair blew over before reopening.

But unfortunately, the buzz surrounding Ji Qingqing's case only grew louder.

For the person she had offended was none other than the Crown Prince himself.

And Luo Jingshen was a man who held grudges fiercely. Ji Qingqing had deceived him by posing as an imposter, making him the laughingstock of the entire capital.

How could he possibly let Ji Qingqing off so easily?

It was for this very reason that the three young masters of Marquis Yongning's household dared not visit Ji Qingqing, fearing that Luo Jingshen, in a fit of anger, might take his wrath out on them.

Moreover, Marquis Yongning, Ji Nanchuan, forbade them to visit Ji Qingqing.

In Ji Nanchuan's view, since the Crown Prince had ordered the child in her womb to be aborted, it meant that Ji Qingqing had lost all her value.

Since she couldn't help the household anymore, what was the point of visiting her?

The more Ji Nanchuan had once spoiled Ji Qingqing, the more he hated her now.

He believed that it was precisely because of Ji Qingqing, that jinx of a woman, that the Marquis Yongning's mansion had been brought to its current sorry state.

------------